Committees

Arts and Sciences Learning Objectives

Asian Studies

Goal 1: To gain proficiency in an Asian language.

Outcome: Students graduating with a major in Asian Studies should
have achieved a high level of proficiency in an Asian language.
Specifically, they should be able to satisfy routine social demands and
limited work requirements in all four areas: listening, speaking, reading
and writing, as follows.Listening: They are able to understand main ideas and most details of
connected discourse on a variety of topics, including short lectures and
news reports. Speaking: They are able to handle most social situations and casual
conversations about current events, work and family. Reading: They are able to read simple authentic material within a familiar
context, such as simple newspaper and magazine articles.
Writing: They are able to write routine social correspondence and simple
discourse on familiar topics, including summaries, and short narratives.

Purpose: To give the student the ability to engage directly with
speakers/writers of an Asian language, and thereby to gain access to and
participate in the culture and literature of that language.

Goal 2: To develop broad knowledge in the geographies, histories, and
cultures of Asia.

Outcome: A student should be able to engage in critical analysis, and report
on that analysis, of Asia-related topics in the social sciences and the
humanities. While specific topics and disciplinary orientations will vary,
in general such work should demonstrate appreciation of such factors as the
geography, history, politics, society, literature, aesthetics, religion,
culture, and trans-cultural relations of Asia.

Purpose: To engender in-depth, critical knowledge of the culture or cultures
of one or more regions of Asia.

Assessment: Indicated by a student passing the major's three required
courses in the social sciences and three required courses in the humanities,
as well as by the readers' evaluation of the independent research project.

Goal 3: To develop familiarity with a range of disciplinary and
interdisciplinary methods of analysis within the field of Asian Studies and
develop the ability to employ at least one of these methods.

Outcome 1: Students can write analytical essays and/or research papers in at
least two different disciplinary fields. Specifically,(a) In the social sciences, a student can write research papers employing
one or more of the following: quantitative or statistical, ethnographic,
qualitative, comparative, or historical methods; and(b) In the humanities, a student can write analytical papers employing one
or more of the following: interpretive or hermeneutical methods; textual,
philological and exegetical methods; or methods of art historical or visual
culture analysis.

Purpose: To provide the students with the tools necessary to make logical,
systematic, and creative analysis of social and cultural phenomena.

Assessment: Indicated by the student taking courses in two different
disciplines, as necessitated by the major's requirement of three courses in
the social sciences and three courses in the humanities.

Outcome 2: Students can clearly articulate at least one disciplinary or
interdisciplinary
method of analysis in a "Methodology" section in the independent writing
requirement.

Purpose: To have the student develop deeper expertise in using at least one
particular methodology used in Asian Studies.